Adult box jellyfish spawn at mouths of rivers during late summer (keep in mind this is around March in the Southern Hemisphere). Fertilized jellyfish eggs stick to rocks, and eventually grow into little jellies which migrate downstream. These primitive sea creatures actually have some things in common with us: they like to eat shrimp, and they like the same kind of beautiful beaches that humans like. They are passive hunters, remaining still and hoping that prey bump into them. The jellyfish's extremely powerful poison is necessary for its way of life, since a pissed-off shrimp can actually do quite a bit of damage to the jelly unless properly subdued.

The deadly venom isn't the only interesting fact about chironex. The jelly can see through four eyes, one at the center of each side of the bell. Yet, it has no brain to process visual information, and scientists aren't exactly sure how it is able to see. It is a very shy creature, and tries to avoid contact with any objects that it doesn't prey upon. Thus, the 70+ human deaths attributed to the jelly are mostly the human's fault for bumping into the acaleph. Not all animals fear the box jellyfish; turtles, unaffected by the jelly's sting, like to eat them.

If you happen to bump into one of these creatures while going for a swim, you're in for a seriously ardiotoxic, neurotoxic and highlydermatonecrotic experience. The venom almost instantly enters your bloodstream. Coming in contact with about three meters worth of tentacle will likely render you a floating carcass. If you're not too paralyzed by the excruciating pain, you'll notice that the activated tentacles are rather sticky, and are very difficult to pull off. In addition, attempting to remove the tentacles from your skin is a good way to exacerbate the sting and kill yourself. Perhaps the best thing to do is realize that a large portion of your skin is already dead and hope that the scared jelly lets go REAL SOON. Resign yourself to the fact that you are going to be in extreme pain for weeks, and that you will one day be able to show your grandchildren your huge scars.